Internships at AEI: Jaslyn Heng

Jaslyn Heng, a second year law student at the Singapore Management University, shares her experience as an intern with AEI Legal in December 2019.

1. What were some of the challenges you faced?

The initial challenges that I faced included, inter alia, learning to be concise and understanding the transaction from a wider perspective. Prior to the internship, I was accustomed to mostly identifying drafting and formatting errors in a document.

I was given constructive feedback to analyse a transaction by understanding (1) what the client’s business model is; (2) who the people in the client’s organisation are; and (3) what the deal is about.  

2. What was the highlight of your internship experience?

It would definitely be the personalised touch of handwriting one hundred personalised cards for the clients. I witnessed first-hand how the Director, Andrea as well as the Associate Director, Cheryl, invested time and effort into building relationships by delivering thoughtful gifts during the festive Christmas season.

In my capacity as a legal intern in a boutique firm, I was blessed with mentors such as Zhi Tian and Yuho who would allocate time to run through the mechanics of a deal with me, give instructions, which would be followed up with a post-mortem review of my completed task.

I drafted an announcement for a Catalist-listed company and reviewed it for compliance with the Companies Act, the SGX Catalist Rules as well as the client’s constitution. In addition, I revised a directors’ confirmation statement in respect of a capital reduction exercise conducted pursuant to Sections 78A - Section 78K of the Companies Act.

3.      What did you learn?

I observed that in order to function as a team which can deliver cutting-edge knowledge and expertise in the commercial domain, self-motivation is crucial. This was demonstrated when I saw how the legal secretaries stayed beyond their working hours during the festive period to deliver the documents required for a client’s upcoming Annual General Meeting.

I also assessed the investor-friendliness of certain provisions relating to liquidity risk in a trust, including the conditions precedent, dispute resolution clause and the pay-out clause. My drafting skills were also sharpened when I had the opportunity to review and comment on a term sheet.

4.      What advice would you provide to future interns?

Applying for a winter internship in December might seem intense, but Christmas and the New Year holidays allowed for an opportune window of celebration amidst the hustle. Be bold and be brave. Don’t be afraid to approach the partners or associates to ask for advice or feedback for work-related matters – a little initiative will go a long way!

Our opinions were valued. AEI Legal had sought the interns’ views on ideas for charity events that the firm could undertake. One recommendation which I proposed was granting bursary awards to underprivileged students studying law in SMU or NUS. In addition, I suggested that the partners and associates could consider giving pro bono legal advice at the SMU Pro Bono Centre, which is located within the vicinity.

5.      Did you enjoy your time?

AEI Legal was founded by directors with over 20 years of combined legal experience at Magic Circle and leading law firms in Singapore and Hong Kong, and are experienced in cross-border and domestic M&A transactions.

As a result, I was exposed to a variety of transactions and assisted in reviewing a wide range of transaction documents, such as a sale and purchase agreement, an Energy Performance Contract, a put and call option agreement and security documents.

I was privileged to have the opportunity of volunteering together with the firm at Willing Hearts, a soup kitchen that provides meals to the underprivileged, such as the elderly, the disabled and low income families. Our firm reported at 6.00am on a Friday morning, where we were tasked with packing food into tetra packets and ensuring that each box of food was carefully loaded into the delivery vans. This would then be distributed island-wide for the relevant beneficiaries.